Hednesford banger racing pic, 1973.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Consuls, Magnettes, Riley 1.5's etc. The two Fords look like the've been driven there and prepared at the venue. Sad, but how it should be remembered and not by the Rigger Boots destroying what's still around.

[HMC]

Looks like a Rover P4 just out of the edge of the shot on the right. Wouldnt fancy being in the wolseley 1500 with the bigger barges charging about. Fascinating shot, Id love to have a wander about. If Autoshite existed in 1973 thats the sort of porridge we'd have cluttering up the drive.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Indeed.

 

Next to the Consuls is an Austin A50 with a large section of rear wing rotted away, a Series 11 Sunbeam Rapier next to the Z Magnette and to the left you can just see the fin of a Mark 111 Zodiac.

[Junkman]

They use slightly newer cars now, but nothing has fundametally changed.

 

[skoda_fan]

When you say "now", is that literally, as in 2015? If so, can't believe they're still racing Farinas in those sort of numbers! Where do they all keep coming from?

[AnthonyG]

I'm surprised the 1973 pic doesn't have more Farina A55s, they would have been old/worthless enough by then, perhaps even A60s as well ( late '61 launch?). I can only see one, wonder if it won!

[skoda_fan]

Good point. I'm old enough to remember when the ovals were full of Magnettes and 4/44s. When their numbers dwindled the Farinas took over.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Good point. I'm old enough to remember when the ovals were full of Magnettes and 4/44s. When their numbers dwindled the Farinas took over.

Me too,although only on World Of Sport or Grandstand. The only Z Magnettes or 4/44s I'd ever seen in the early 70's were bangers or ,my favourite, Destuction Derbys ( I was only 8 or 9). By the time it became all Farinas I don't think it was on telly as much. Did Granadas take over from Farinas or was there something in between?

[Junkman]

When you say "now", is that literally, as in 2015?

 

Yes.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I'm surprised the 1973 pic doesn't have more Farina A55s, they would have been old/worthless enough by then, perhaps even A60s as well ( late '61 launch?). I can only see one, wonder if it won!

They were old but the fact they'd only been out of production for 2 years, they were still seen as respectable secondhand cars, even if most had fibreglass wings and pop riveted repairs* all over them.

[Junkman]

Look what they raced in the 50s!
 

 

 

 

 

 

Welding was done in those days in blazer, slacks, and complete with top pocket hankie:

[Junkman]

Meanwhile in France...

 

 

[captain_70s]

When you say "now", is that literally, as in 2015? If so, can't believe they're still racing Farinas in those sort of numbers! Where do they all keep coming from?

All over the place it seems. There are a ton of "classics" in a banger racers yard close to me, MGB GT, Volvo Amazon, Austin 1800, Saab 96 and various other cars I couldn't quite see when driving past. All utterly hanging though, I'd imagine they never get as far as being sold on as restos as they are too fucked.

 

Wouldn't mind a Farina (Wolseley 16/60 plz) myself but ones that aren't rotten seem to fetch good money now!

[HH-R]

Is that Aldi about to go round the oval in the 2015 photo above?

 

*fingers crossed*

[dugong]

All over the place it seems. There are a ton of "classics" in a banger racers yard close to me, MGB GT, Volvo Amazon, Austin 1800, Saab 96 and various other cars I couldn't quite see when driving past. All utterly hanging though, I'd imagine they never get as far as being sold on as restos as they are too fucked.

 

Wouldn't mind a Farina (Wolseley 16/60 plz) myself but ones that aren't rotten seem to fetch good money now!

Amazons aren't usually raced because of their collapsible steering column. Bounce off the hawsers or take a smash at the front and you lose your steering. An Amazon would get away from a Farina no problem but when the Farina met it again going round, it'd be curtains. They're not DD or race contenders, really. 120s are robust but not in the same way an as A60 - which smashes through stuff because it's ludicrously over-engineered.

[Junkman]

[mercrocker]

Farinas do well on two counts - the natural crumple zones of so much metal at each end together with a massive front crossmember that keeps the steering and suspension hanging in there (Ford McPhersons are pretty spindly by comparison) and the narrow width of the car. You can just squeeze through where bigger stuff gets caught up. Apparently the gearing is quite helpful too, although I cant comment on that in an oval situation...Over 100 A60s and derivatives booked in for July I am led to believe.

[Junkman]

Over 100 A60s and derivatives booked in for July I am led to believe.

 

Yep, and the Farina Club will have a stand there.

[sheffcortinacentre]

the muppet near me takes much glee in using decent cars & snubbing offers on the cars or parts.

 

amonst his stash are a mk2 Granada 2.8i complete with spoilers & recaro int,amstrong siddley & hes fetched the mk3 Granada saloon on here last week in notts.

has a 2 owner low miles p5b with full mint tool kit dry stored since the 80's. paid £600 for the privilege of smashing this up????????

[Partridge]

They use slightly newer cars now, but nothing has fundametally changed.

 

I got excited then, I thought they were going to race that Audi.

[155V6]

[danthecapriman]

Me too,although only on World Of Sport or Grandstand. The only Z Magnettes or 4/44s I'd ever seen in the early 70's were bangers or ,my favourite, Destuction Derbys ( I was only 8 or 9). By the time it became all Farinas I don't think it was on telly as much. Did Granadas take over from Farinas or was there something in between?

The 'Farina's' as in the Cambridge/Oxford etc were largely replaced by the Cortina and Capri for 'unders' meetings, which were themselves replaced by the Mondeos and Cougers they use now.

 

The 'big Farina's', the Westminster, 6/110, VP Princess/4R, old Jag's, Rovers etc were later replaced by the Granada mk1 then a little later on by the mk2, along with the Jag XJ6, XJS etc. They are getting hard to find now though so Lexus', Supras, Scorpios, Jag x300 etc are very common now.

 

I used to work with a couple of guys into bangers, they were crazy! They'd race anything they could get. A few notable ones I remember were Jag 420G, Oldsmobile Delta88, Vauxhall Cresta PC, Vauxhall Velox, Daimler DS420 hearse! Such a waste, and they'd never let me buy them either. One of them used to love Lada Rivas for sub 1300cc meetings and went through loads of them. The same guy also used a mk2 Transit camper for a van bangers meeting, he broke his wrist in a head on but carried on for the rest of the day using one arm only! Like I said, crazy!

[MrDuke]

Is it true that Farinas are bombproof due to the original monocoque design proving too weak under harsh road testing, leading to desperate and excessive over-strengthening measures being used rather than re-developing the chassis?

[Inspector Morose]

I'm sure that was the earlier, pre farinas.

 

Don't forget in cryptical plastics in the early 80s beardy types wrote in in droves decrying the farina cars saying that they'll never be classics and should be destroyed immediately. Oh how times change, eh?

[MrDuke]

I can believe that - my "A-Z Of Cars of the 1970s" by Graham Robson, published in the early 90s, basically writes off any non-prestige car that doesn't have a British or Italian badge. He goes out of his way to reiterate how 'undesirable' virtually all 70s Japanese cars are, and directs a shocking amount of vitriol towards Moskvich and Wartburg.

[Inspector Morose]

Find an early Wartburg (I mean pre knight) now. One for sale soon from stondon but that's about it in this country.

[Junkman]

Back in the 1990s reunification craze, one must have been a very wise man with a lot of foresight to preserve a Wartburg.

In the early 90s, there was a scrappage backlog for them that dwarfs the one we saw during the scrappage scheme.

[Inspector Morose]

Oh for a 312 camping now.

[sierraman]

There's no way on earth I'd be pilling into a Austin Cambridge in a banger race. If they are as rotten and uneconomic to repair as the racers often claim they must be close to collapse. Despite being strong in their day or what ever I wouldn't fancy my chances in a bang against some moron in a Mondeo or what ever they use as the modern alternative.

[alf892]

I used to go to the bangers a lot in the late 70s/80s. Top stuff to race was mk2 Jags and Daimler 250s.............quite a few used to lop the back end off presumably to help with corners. Landcrabs used to do quite well too. There were still loads of A60s.

 

Racing was at Bury Farm, Houghton Conquest in the grounds of an old school scrappy. Housing estate now..........